Iran Backs Syria Ceasefire Proposal, Rejects Al-Assad Replacement

Local Editor

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged Thursday a ceasefire in Syria and called for internal dialogue to resolve the crisis.

According to Kuwaiti media, Ahmadinejad rejected a Turkish proposal to replace President Bashar al-Assad.
"The continuity of the fighting and the killing of innocent and unarmed Syrian citizens ... is unacceptable. A ceasefire must be achieved and then a dialogue started," said Ahmadinejad, cited by the daily al-Anbaa newspaper.

During a visit this week to Kuwait, where he attended the Asia Cooperation Dialogue Summit, he confirmed that "the solution must be Syrian made by the Syrian people."
In parallel, Ahmadinejad rejected a Turkish proposal made earlier this month that Syrian Vice President Faruq al-Shara replace al-Assad during a transition phase in Syria.
"This means we are imposing a foreign solution on the Syrians. The solution must be Syrian and not imposed from outside and the Syrian people should decide through elections," the head of the Iranian Republic said.
He also underscored that he had discussed the Syrian crisis with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting Tuesday on the sidelines of a regional summit in Azerbaijan.

"Our main goal is to achieve security and stability in Syria," Ahmadinejad said, and pointed out that "the difference is on the means to achieve that goal."
In this context, he clarified that "some believe that progress can be achieved through wars but we believe that the means to achieve the goal is through national dialogue."

Ahmadinejad said Iran will respect the choice of the Syrian people, adding that the ground must be prepared for reaching an understanding, "and this is what we told Erdogan and sought his help."
"Anyone who is the friend of the Syrian people should try to form the basis for free elections in the country. The ceasefire and negotiations on free elections in my view is the correct road to resolution," he stressed.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org